This invention relates generally to hand-held dispensers, and more particularly to dispensers of the type wherein a separate nozzled cap is permanently assembled to a container following filling of the latter with the intended product.
Over the years there have been proposed and produced a number of dispensers involving closure constructions employing threaded overcaps which were adapted to be screwed onto the threaded necks of containers. Several such dispensers are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,406,880; 3,216,630; 3,598,285; and 3,276,640.
A somewhat different arrangement involving an overcap which was intended to be snapped into position and permanently retained in the neck of a container is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,113,693. In this latter instance, the container was constituted of metal, and had a thin top wall containing an aperture with a curled-over edge that provided a bead-like structure and at the same time stiffened the wall, such that a depending skirt on the plastic overcap or cap part could be forced into the aperture and permanently retained therein.
In all of these constructions the ultimate angular position of the overcap with respect to the container was of no special consequence, since the product was dispensed from the opening in the overcap, and in most cases, this opening was located substantially at the axis of the container. Moreover, most containers were symmetrical about an axial line or a median plane, and accordingly the screw-type securement that was provided proved generally satisfactory in almost all respects. Similarly, in the case of the snap-type installation illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,113,693, the particular orientation of the cap with respect to the container body was of no special significance as far as the intended operation or function of the device was concerned.
Some of the more recent container designs have involved assymetric shapes; others have employed overcap constructions that had specially formed apertures or nozzles which were intended to discharge liquid product in a lateral or skewed direction, that is, at an angle with respect to the axis of the container. For example, recently developed squeeze-bottle dispensers for bathroom bowl cleaning solutions have incorporated spout constructions wherein the consumer could invert the container and direct a stream slightly upwardly so as to reach underneath the lip of the bowl. Still, some of these dispensers presented difficulties for the consumer in that proper manipulation of the dispenser and directing of the stream to the desired areas was awkward. Also, as the container neared an empty condition, air from the interior tended to mix with the liquid if the container was not inverted sufficiently.
Some of the overcaps currently in use are assymetric; that is, they incorporate hinged closure or stopper plugs for sealing off the opening in the overcap. Others involve structural safety features for preventing inadvertent opening of the dispenser by an infant or child, for example.
Most prior dispenser constructions did not make provision for establishing any type of registration between an overcap and the container therefor; accordingly, where apertured screw caps employing screw threads that mated with cooperable threads on the exterior of a container neck were employed, the ultimate angular position of the cap was for the most part indeterminate. It depended upon the nature of the threads on the cap and container neck, as well as the torque applied thereto during assembly. Substantial deviations occurred with the application of different torques, regardless of whether manual or automatic assembly (capping) equipment was used. In addition, where no provision was made for retaining an overcap in a particular position following such assembly, shifting would frequently occur during handling of the dispenser. Often the dispensing container and cap were wiped off or otherwise cleaned following filling, and this operation sometimes caused an undesirable relative turning to occur between the two parts.